I finally made it. After closing in on the big number the past few years, I finally attended my 50th thoroughbred racetrack for live racing. Just two days removed from my first ever visit to Sam Houston Race Park, I have to say that I could not be happier that I chose the Houston, Texas oval for the milestone. Besides seeing one of my favorite horses in training, Albano, win the evening's feature in scintillating fashion, I was treated to a memorable evening at a wonderful venue.

For my first ever visit to Sam Houston Race Park, I will be treated to three stakes races this Saturday evening. I’m expecting a fun night at the races. Without further ado, let’s jump right into a preview of each...

If you didn’t happen to handicap the 96ROCK Stakes, or look at the oddsboard beforehand, you must have watched in shock as the winner romped home in the January 31 feature at Turfway Park just about as easily as a horse can win a race. It wasn’t so much the 7 ¼-length final margin that The Great War won by that evening, but it was the way he looked cantering down the stretch that really stood out. Truly a case of barely breaking a sweat, it appeared that he could have won by 20 if asked at all in the stretch of the 6 ½ furlong stakes race. Remaining on the Turfway trail to the 2015 Kentucky Derby, The Great War will be back to thrill the local fans once again when he breaks from the far outside in an eleven horse field for the $125,000 John Battaglia Memorial Stakes Feb. 28 at the Kentucky racetrack.

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Brian has been a passionate fan of horse racing since birth. Taken to the races at a very young age, he has been lucky enough to see all the greats in person from Secretariat and Ruffian through Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta. Before coming to the Nation, Brian displayed his love for the sport through the development of his horse racing website, which quickly became one of the most popular blogs in the game. As Managing Editor of Horse Racing Nation, Brian authors a daily column as Zipse at the Track, or ZATT for short, and adds his editorial flare to the overall content of the website. Brian also serves on the the Board of Directors of ReRun Thoroughbred Adoption and is a Vox Populi committee member. A graduate of DePaul University, Brian lives in Suburban Chicago with his wife Candice and daughter Kendra, where he is a professional golf instructor when he is not following the horses.